


Mixed Signals

by DarkCellar



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015), kylux - Fandom
Genre: Boys In Love, Boys Kissing, Dorks in Love, Eventual Fluff, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Romance, Evil Space Boyfriends, Falling In Love, Feelings Realization, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Friendship/Love, Gay, Kissing, Kylo Ren - Freeform, Kylo Ren Needs a Hug, Kylux - Freeform, Love Confessions, Love Letters, M/M, Romance, Romantic Fluff, Romantic Kylux, Secret Admirer, Secret Crush, Short & Sweet, Short Story, Soft Kylux, Star Wars - Freeform, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015) - Freeform, Sweet Kylo Ren, The First Order
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-26
Updated: 2017-08-26
Packaged: 2018-12-20 05:19:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,881
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11914041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkCellar/pseuds/DarkCellar
Summary: For the past few weeks, Hux has been receiving mysterious DataPad messages from a person who won't identify themself. These messages are full of sweet words, charming sentiments, and a repeated admission to the person having romantic feelings for the General.While initially skeptical, Hux finds himself wanting more and more to believe the messagebehindthe messages--and in the person sending them.(short, 1-chapter story)





	Mixed Signals

General Hux read through the long letter in his DataPad with a smile. He was sitting in the east conference room, listening to the Captains of various squads give him their individual reports on their teams' progress.

Or rather, he was hearing, but not really listening.

Most of the items he sat through during meetings of any kind were things that he had heard a thousand times before, in one way or another.

But this, this letter on his DataPad; this was a part of something new.

A couple of weeks back, while reading through directives from Snoke, Hux received a message from an unknown person. The sender code that it came from was private, so Hux had no way of tracing the message back to its source.

And he didn't think it was meant for him, anyway.

It had to be a mistake; clearly, the message was intended for somebody else.

He had found himself reading a lovely poem, that went something like:

{ "Speak softly, sun going down, Out of sight, come near me now  
Multiply the stillness by one sound  
By one syllable of your name,  
And all that is little is soon giant  
All that is common grows rare in beauty  
To rest with my mouth on your mouth  
As somewhere, a star falls." }

Beautiful; but probably not meant for him.

The next day, he received another message.

{ "Dear General Hux,

I know what you're thinking, but no, you did not receive the poem yesterday by mistake. I wrote it for you.

Who am I?

I'm somebody in The First Order that you've known for quite some time. We work together and see each other very often. I've been enamored with you, General, for what feels like a very long time. Fear keeps me from revealing my identity, and if you knew who I was, you would likely reject me.

So for now, I'm forced to express my feelings on the screen of your DataPad. }

Hux read and re-read that one over and over, as well as the poem from the previous day, trying to piece together something, anything of this confusing puzzle.

He couldn't think of a single soul in the First Order who might have any kind of "feelings" for him. In truth, the very concept made him a bit uneasy. He had not opened himself up to anybody, in any sense, for more years than he could count. And, in his own opinion, he didn't see anything about himself that could validate a physical attraction; so he was at a loss for who could have possibly sent him these two things.

After his meeting ended, he began working on a batch of requisition forms for a new dining hall they were adding on the lower levels. Working, but thinking about the poem, and the message.

In the middle of this duality, who should burst into the quiet room but Kylo Ren.

He practically ran into the room and then quickly ducked down behind the door. Hux watched with mild interest as several female members of his personnel staff went fairly flying past the windows.

"Ren, what are you doing?" Hux had asked, annoyed at being disturbed.

Ren cautiously leaned back up and looked out the doors window. Seeing that no one was in the hallway, he breathed a sigh of relief before answering Hux's question.

"I had to go to Human Resources to deliver a directive from Snoke. I was leaving and that kriffing woman, Secretary Aari, and her assistant saw me. They want me to join them for lunch, but I don't want to. So I ran."

Hux shook his head and sighed. Ever since a few months ago, when Kylo Ren made the decision to take off his infamous helmet, and KEEP it off, he had had no end of people, women and men alike, literally and figuratively chasing after him.

Hux often thought to himself, enviously, how wonderful it must be, to be _that_ handsome. To have a list of possible romantic conquests he could choose from at any given time.

To Ren, he simply said, "Well, it looks like your fan club is gone. You can leave now."

Instead, Ren came over to the large table and took the seat next to Hux's. He propped his boots up on the table and leaned back, lacing his hands behind his head.

"It's so quiet in here. I think I'll stay awhile."

Hux glared at him. "I'd really rather you left. These forms are important, I need to concentrate."

Ignoring Hux, Ren, still rocked back in his chair, levitated one of Hux's papers to in front of his eyes, where he read it over slowly.

"Building a new mess hall? Why?", he asked with a frown, mentally pushing the paper back to Hux.

"Do you pay attention during my meetings at all? We NEED one, that's why. We have over 2,000 new recruits coming in here within the next few months, and they can't all be jammed together in a single room like cattle."

Ren sat back up and rolled his eyes. "So set up some planks and chairs for them outside. Think of how much money that would save."

"I'll take that consideration under note, Ren. Now please, go find somebody else to harass."

Ren pulled his boots down from the table and stood up, stretching. He got to the door and paused, clapping his hand over his mouth like he was going to sneeze.

Instead of sneezing, he turned around and waved his hand towards Hux, sending all his papers flying into the air and across room.

Before Hux could draw in the breath to scream at him, Ren gave him a smirk, a wave, and then trotted out of the room.

\---

{ I hope you don't mind that I set this communication up so one-sided, but I feel this is the way it has to be. If you were able to respond to me, you'd be able to offer your opinion on the things I've written to you so far. And, truthfully, I'm scared to hear them.

I don't want to scare you, but my admiration for you is consuming me. It's consumed me with all the intensity of the twin suns of Tattoine.

That's what I think of every time I look at you, by the way: the sun. Full of light and warmth, and beauty. Many people don't know that the sun is beautiful, because if you stare at it too long, it hurts your eyes. Blinds you. That's what it feels like, to me; looking at YOU too long is blinding. }

Another message, and Hux still had no clue about who this person could be. They had said in the beginning that it was someone he worked with, that saw him fairly frequently, but that hardly narrowed it down at all. He worked with many people, all the time, every single day. 

Nevertheless, he found that these communications were doing wonders for his mood. He smiled a lot more, enjoyed more laughs than before. It was scary but marvelous, to think that someone out there actually _liked_ him, actually found him desirable. HIM. Armitage Hux.

Even if that person chose to remain behind the safety of anonymity.

Others noticed the change in the usually dour General's mood, too, although nobody commented on it to him.

Well, ALMOST nobody.

"You must be feeling sick, Hux," Kylo Ren had said to him one night, as they both stood in Snoke' chambers as they waited to have their weekly holographic meeting with him.

"Why is that?"

"You're SMILING. I didn't know you _could_ smile."

Hux remained silent, declining to answer.

"SOMETHING has you in a decent mood, for once. May I ask what it is?"

"You MAY, but that doesn't guarantee you'll get an answer."

Ren only folded his arms across his chest and stared at him, with eyebrows raised.

"Fine. They had chocolate cream cake in the mess today."

"That's what has you going around like you've won the galactic lottery? Cake?"

"Considering I haven't had any in years, yes." Now he looked at Ren with a hard stare. "Not that you'd know what that's like, Lord Ren. Every single day, you have limitless options in front of you. Chocolate cream cake, pie, cookies, anything you want at all, you can just reach out and take it."

Ren tilted his head and looked at him in confusion. 

"What in the hells are you _talking_ about?"

"Nothing, Ren," Hux said with a sigh. "You wouldn't understand."

Before Ren could respond, Snoke appeared, and their conversation with each other came to an end.

Later, when Hux got back to his quarters, a new message was waiting for him.

{ My heart is pounding even as I write this, but . . . I think I'm ready. To speak to you, face to face. But you're such a sweet, kind, handsome man that I can't bear to think of things continuing on this way. I want to 'meet' you, and see where this might go, if anywhere. Even if you devide you don't want to pursue anything with me, even if you reject me--at least I'll finally know. I'd never forgive myself if I didn't at least TRY.

If you're interested, I'll come to see you in your office, tomorrow night, around 2100. I hope you'll be there. }

\---

A knock sounded on his door, and Hux's heart began to pound. He quickly straightened his shirt and smoothed back his hair, before steadying his voice to yell "Come in!"

His breath caught in his chest as he looked up to finally see the face of his mystery admirer . . . 

. . . but disappointment quickly overtook him when Kylo Ren walked in, instead.

"Ren, if you don't mind, I'm a bit busy at the moment."

"Busy doing what? Sitting there?"

Hux sighed and scooted back in his chair. He got up, preparing to forcibly walk Ren out the door.

"I have a personal meeting with somebody. An _important_ meeting. So, once again --" he said, putting his hand on Ren's arm to steer him out the door.

But Ren wouldn't budge.

"Nothing could be so important that you don't have time to discuss a little business with me."

Resisting the urge to throw one good punch at the infuriating man's face, Hux sat back down at his desk with another heavy sigh.

"We have no 'business' to discuss, Lord Ren. Or if we DO, I'm sure it can wait until the meeting tomorrow, can't it?"

Ren shook his head and sat down in the chair outside Hux's desk.

"Not really. This is important business. _Consuming_ business, actually," he said with a smirk.

Hux stared at him in confusion. "What are you talking--"

"This particular business consumes me like the twin sons of Tattoine," Ren interrupted him, still with that same grin on his face.

Hux sat silent for a moment, feeling his face turn red. Barely able to control himself, he said, in an angry voice,

"You--you've been tapping into my Comm channel again, haven't you?!"

Before Ren could answer, Hux went on: 

"I can't believe you, Kylo Ren! I know you don't respect me or my personal property but surely you see that you doing something as invasive as **reading through my private messages** is going FAR beyond deplorable?!"

Ren looked down at Hux's desk, and for some reason his own face turned a very dark red.

"I didn't _read_ through your messages, Hux," he mumbled, self-consciously running the back of his neck. "I, uh, I _wrote_ them. I mean, I'm the one whose been writing to you."

Hux sat still in a stunned disbelief. His brain felt frozen, and so did his mouth. For the life of him he couldn't remember how to open it and make himself speak. When he finally could get something out, all he could think to say was,

"No, you didn't."

Ren looked up at him, and the expression on his face was one Hux couldn't recall ever having seen there, before. It was a confusing blend of anxiety, excitement, and fear. 

"I did," he whispered, sounding almost ashamed of himself. "I wrote you that very first poem, about the sky, and every letter after that."

So many thoughts were galloping through Hux's mind that he wasn't sure which to address first.

"Ren. I never--I could never have imagined that you could be so--so _cruel_. So heartless. I -- I never--"

"Wait, wait, what are you talking about?!"

Hux stood up now, anger snapping out from his blue eyes. 

"That you would go to _this_ much effort, to fool me. Or rather, to make me LOOK like a fool for your own entertainment."

He abruptly turned around and faced his window, trying to control his heavy breathing as he looked out at the grounds below. He felt, surprisingly, that he was very close to tears, and he didn't want to give Kylo Ren the satisfaction of seeing him cry.

"That's why you're in here now, isn't it?", he asked the man behind him, very softly. "To laugh at how excited I was, thinking that somebody was actually interested in me?"

When there was no response, Hux continued, his voice breaking slightly.

"Well, go ahead and laugh, Ren. Go ahead and ridicule me, for how easy it was for you to deceive me. _Go ahead_ , I won't stop you. I won't--"

A pair of arms went around him, very strong arms, hugging him. Gripping him around the middle and squeezing him so tight he could hardly breathe.

"Let GO of me," he said without turning around. He had to bite down, hard, on his lower lip, to keep back the tears that were dangerously close to the surface.

Instead of letting go, Ren leaned down and kissed Hux, very softly, on the cheek.

"I wasn't teasing you, and I wasn't trying to deceive you," he said, still not letting go of Hux. He turned the redhead around gently in his arms, so that they were facing each other.

"I truly **do** like you, Hux. A lot. I've had feelings for you for quite some time, actually. And maybe I should have told you this to your face, but I couldn't. I didn't think you'd ever take me seriously, considering how we act with each other in public. These letters--they were the only way I could talk to you, to begin to tell you how I feel, without actually having to face you, or let you know that it was ME."

Hux looked into Ren's face, wanting so badly to believe his words, to trust, but afraid to let himself go.

But the earnest, open way that Ren was staring at him, the tender way he was holding him . . . 

Hux stood slightly on his tiptoes, leaned into Ren and grazed his lips with his own. Just a brush, just a taste. Ren's eyes widened in amazement, and then he tilted his neck down and pressed their lips together again, longer, deeper. Hux, who hadn't truly felt anything in so many years, felt the tingling impact of this kiss all the way down to his boots.

Ren smiled into the kiss, his hand going up to lightly brush away the tears that had finally fallen from Hux's eyes. Hux smiled too as their lips eventually parted, then threw his own arms around Ren in a tight hug.

He then pulled out of Ren's arms and sat back at his desk, pulling out his DataPad. He began busily scrolling through files until he found what he wanted.

"What are you doing?", Ren asked him, shakily.

"Clearing my schedule for tomorrow. Yours, too."

"Why?"

"You and I are going to spend the day together. Away from here. We're going to go out and eat, get some Caff, and talk. Start getting to know each other, like normal people. Not the Lord and the General, but Kylo and Hux. Okay?"

Ren smiled and sat back down.

"But I don't like Caff."

"So you'll learn to like it."

"I don't **want** to learn to like it," Ren answered with a mock-pour.

Hux rolled his eyes. 

"Don't make me regret it before it even starts, Kylo."

"'It'? What's 'it'?"

"This relationship, you moof-milker!"

"We're not in a relationship."

"And we won't be, if you don't cut the nonsense."

So Ren just grinned and remained quiet. When Hux was done, he looked up at Ren and said,

"I've got some more work to get done, before I leave."

Ren nodded and stood up, pushing in his chair.

"I'll leave you to it, then. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Bright and early."

Ren walked up to Hux, and asked, rather shyly,

"Can I have a goodnight kiss?"

Hux stood up and kissed him hard enough to leave him breathless. Then he gave him a gentle push towards the door.

"Goodnight," he said, returning Ren's smile as the latter walked out the door and down the hallway.

Still smiling, Hux sat back down and began in on a stack of paperwork. In the back of his head, he planned out possible locations for him and Ren to go to tomorrow.

After awhile, he started to whistle.

His meeting had gone very well, indeed.


End file.
